The Eastern Cape province held a Local and Digital Content Summit, in preparation for the local TV content strategy, which is yet to be finalised by the Department of Communications (DOC).
The DOC says the summit was arranged to assist the province in adapting the Local Content Strategy to the provincial needs of the communities.
The purpose of the strategy is to promote the development of local television content, as well as to identify niche economic opportunities in the sector.
The DOC was expected to finalise and implement the local and digital content development strategy by December last year, but - according to department spokesperson Richard Mantu - the strategy has not yet been finalised.
Local needs
The DOC congratulated the Eastern Cape for having initiated the process of collaborating with the department in support of its strategy that was adopted to develop local content.
The department says it is confident that the Eastern Cape will get involved in partnerships with the private sector, industry leaders, local content developers and universities to assist in the advancement of the strategy.
“The summit, which was addressed by deputy minister Dina Pule, hopes to encourage the locals to take part in content development, so as to create content that is relevant to their needs and daily lives.
“This will have a positive impact, not only on their lives, but also on the local economy, which will have an enormous benefit to the people of the province through job creation, skills development and increased tourism.”
Imperative move
Communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda says: “We are pleased to have commenced with the development of the Local Content Strategy, as this has been under discussion for a long period of time. The strategy will assist in identifying the niche economic opportunities in the Eastern Cape, and that the development of the ICT infrastructure and access particularly in the rural areas is under way.”
The department says it supports the initiative that the province has taken in setting up the Eastern Cape community television station.
The DOC adds that it is imperative for the country to start moving towards the conversion from analogue to digital content, not only for better quality, but also to preserve the current local content that can be accessed for years to come.
“This means that we start bridging the digital divide by creating quality, locally produced content with better sound and picture.”
Closing vacuums
Despite its faults, the department's Local and Digital Content Development Strategy is a step in the right direction, broadcasting and Internet lawyers say.
The objectives of the policy are to meet the requirements of the Electronic and Communications Act and the Broadcasting Act, and to accelerate growth of the industry by increasing output, facilitating the rapid entrance of new players, creating jobs, developing export potential, and positioning the country as a content hub.
The draft strategy says it will meet these objectives through strategic funding and infrastructure investments, encouraging the promotion of content from historically disadvantaged groups, and promoting content as a vehicle for fostering regional integration and development.
The strategy discusses content of national interest, generating content in marginalised languages, and forming a Digital Content Fund that broadcasters and others, such as ISPs, will contribute to.
“While this document is not that great, it does fill a specific role and it needs to be worked on. Recently, the DOC has taken the leadership in a number of issues... and this has been a great step forward after the previous vacuum,” says Dominic Cull, owner of Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions.
Share